Newsletter

Savannah OKs commercial portion of Savannah Gardens

Ally Tate said Monday that living at Savannah Gardens is fine, although it can be a hassle not having a car. Tate said it is a long walk to get a bite to eat and she wouldn’t mind having restaurants and stores nearby.

She may get her wish soon right outside her door.

Savannah is moving forward with a plan to add commercial space to the Savannah Gardens mixed-income housing development on Pennsylvania Avenue, which has been comprised of mostly residential units.

On Thursday, the Savannah City Council authorized the nonprofit Community Housing Services Agency to provide a $195,000 loan for construction of a 4,460-square-foot commercial space on the first floor of a multiple-level, mixed-use building.

The loan will go to Mercy Housing Southeast, which is building and managing much of the multi-family, as well as the retail components of the development.

The $195,000 comes from loan repayments made to the city through other housing projects, according to city spokesman Bret Bell.

CHSA Development will market and lease the space, which is on the east side of Pennsylvania on the north and south corner of the city’s brick plaza. Off-street parking is included behind the space.

Gordon Garner, who has lived at Savannah Gardens for about a year, said he would like to see a small grocer or discount store open up in the space.

While no tenants have been selected, CHSA will be marketing to small businesses that are convenient to the residents, said director Darrel Daise.

What the community really needs is a grocery store, said Savannah Gardens resident Jackie Brown, because it would save her and a lot of other residents from a long bus trip.

The space approved for development is too small for a grocery store, but there is additional commercial property available along Gwinnett Street, where a former Kroger was located, Daise said. No plans have been established for that location, however, he said.

Savannah Gardens is the redevelopment of Strathmore Estates, a 44-acre World War II-era community that contained 380 units of substandard rental housing located on the city’s east side. The city partnered with Mercy Housing and the Community Housing Services Agency to redevelop the community.

The last of the Strathmore buildings were demolished in August, and the new buildings are being built to Earthcraft standards, a green building certification specific to the climate and materials relevant to the Southeast.

About 10 percent of Savannah Garden’s 439 apartments are expected to be rented at market rate, while the rest will be based on income. The project will include about 560 units, including some single-family homes, when it’s finished.